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In four rows of two, Miss Lina's eight ballerinas—Christina, Edwina, Sabrina, Justina, Katrina, Bettina, Marina, and Nina—dance to the park, at the zoo, and even while doing their schoolwork. They are one perfect act, but when Miss Lina introduces Regina, a new girl, the group of nine's steps become a mess.
As a young girl growing up in Tours, France, Christine Davenier loved listening to her older sister read fairy tales aloud. But she frequently found herself wondering, What does the princess’s beautiful dress look like? or How exquisite are her jewels? Christine was left to her own imagination, for the books had few illustrations. So it comes as little surprise that today, Christine embraces her career as an illustrator. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to create the illustrations I dreamed about seeing as a child,” she says.
When Christine was fourteen, she received her first box of watercolor paints, a gift from her grandmother. That was the beginning of many afternoons spent painting together in her grandmother’s garden. “My grandmother was an extraordinary woman,” Christine says. “Even though she worked in an office all her life, she was an artist through and through. She shared everything she knew about color—in painting and in life. Her wisdom and talent still inspire me today.”
She has illustrated many picture books, including Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen by Cari Best. She lives in Paris, France.
“An infectiously rhyming text not a little reminiscent of Madeline.…Author and illustrator have teamed up for a lovely story about friendship, ballet and grouping numbers. Davenier's colorful illustrations are filled with humor, movement and lovely shades of pink…young readers, budding ballerinas or not, will enjoy the details of the ballet studio and the joie de vivre of the nine young ladies.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The book is a charmer.” —Publishers Weekly
“The children are full of movement and expression, and the setting has a Parisian feel. Reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline, this will be a crowd pleaser with aspiring ballerinas and also makes a great introduction to a math lesson on number groupings.” —School Library Journal
“French illustrator Davenier (one of the New York Times' Ten Best illustrators for 2002) keeps the little girls exuberantly dancing in class, through math lessons, in the park, at the zoo, and at the beach. Her ink, watercolor and colored pencil drawings are lively, detailed, and witty; readers may enjoy tracking the shades of pink from pale to potent in fashions for nightgowns, bathing suits, school dresses, and shopping outfits--as well as tutus. (They can also note that the new classmate wears hot pink leg warmers, as do all the others when they finally accept her.) Maccarone's agile rhyming text dances along, too, making good use of the nine musical names Christina, Edwina, Sabrina, Justina, Katrina, Bettina, Marina, Nina, and new friend, Regina. Girls who love dance will likely find this story of immersion in ballet, making friends, and learning to adapt, most appealing.” —Children's Literature
